A Thousand Years
by Alex Bee
Summary: Katherine and Elena Gilbert are twins set in 1864, Mystic Falls, Virginia. Damon Salvatore has just returned from war and one of the Gilbert sisters has fled.
1. Chapter 1

_Mystic Falls, 1864_

It was a warm spring night in the town of Mystic Falls during March of 1864. Seventeen year old Elena Gilbert could be seen sleeping peacefully in her bed inside the large Gilbert estate. Then, she awoke to the sounds of feet moving and clothes rustling.

Elena opened her eyes, to see her twin sister Katerina, or Katherine as she was better known, moving about their shared room. Katherine's open wardrobe was emptied of all of her gowns and dresses. At the end of her bed she was packing a trunk full of all that had been taken out.

"Katerina, what are you doing?" Elena sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes of sleep.

"Nothing, Elena, go back to bed." Elena's sister did not stop moving about the room. She was frantically grabbing any possessions that were within her reach.

The sleepy sister began to notice Katherine's movements and the trunk full of her twin's belongings.

"What- why are you packing?"

"Elena, go back to sleep." Katherine said again with more force. She seemed flustered, practically out of breath. Her eyes were darting all around the room, still searching for anything else that she could grab.

"Are you leaving?" Elena quickly became more awake, she pushed the covers from her body and sat up straight in her bed.

"Yes." Katherine confirmed as she gathered more of her things out of the desk that sat next to her twin's.

"No, you cannot go. Mother would just die, Father would have a fit. What about Stefan? What about me?-"

"I know of all that." She said sadly, regretfully.

"So, why?" Elena was trying so hard to understand her sister's sudden need to leave their life. Their family. Their home.

"I am pregnant." Katherine finally stopped moving around, and sat at the foot of Elena's bed.

Elena sat there for a moment, gaping, blinking, trying to grasp what Katherine just told her. She didn't believe it; she couldn't believe it. There was no way.

"How do you know? You have not grown." She said, trying to convince her sister that this couldn't be true.

"I have not bled in over a month. And I have grown, underneath my clothing."

Elena looked down at her hands in defeat, "Is it Stefan's child?"

"No." Katherine's voice broke as she uttered the word.

"Katerina, I thought that you loved him." Elena said whispered into the dark room, with only the moon to illuminate the sisters same faces.

"I do! But...do you remember that night after the party at the Fell's home?"

Elena slowly nodded her head.

"I came home late that night, with bruises on my arms. I told you that I fell…but that was a lie. I had too much of the drink and after the party, I found myself in town. There was a man who found me and I remember him grabbing me and pulling me somewhere dark. He hurt me and he took off my clothing..." Katherine paused for a moment, staring at the same spot on the wall opposite of where their beds sat. "But I do not remember much but the great pain that came after. All I know is that after he had left me there, I somehow found my way home."

As Katherine told the story, Elena could have sworn that she saw tears glistening in her sister's eyes. Katherine never cried. She was the strong one. She was the one who always had to comfort the emotional Elena. She was the one who made other people cry. Seeing her sister so weak made Elena uncomfortable. She didn't even know how to go about consoling her.

Somehow, Elena got up from her spot on her bed to sit next to Katherine. She wrapped her arms around her sister and held her as she cried softly into Elena's dark curls.

This went on for what seemed like forever to Elena. She didn't understand what was happening to her sister, or what this meant for them or their family. Finally, while Elena was contemplating different possible scenarios to play out from this point, Katherine sat up and wiped her tears.

"Elena, I have to go. Father would make me leave anyways, no matter what my reasonings are."

That was a scenario Elena did not imagine.

"He may not, Katerina. If we just explain to him..." She couldn't even finish the sentence. She didn't even know how they would explain to him let alone how he could ever understand.

The brunette being held by her sister shook her head and smiled sadly at her twin, "No, I would bring shame to our family, and to the Salvatore's. I must go." She disentangled from Elena's arms and sat up from her seat to continue packing.

"But, where will you go?" Elena asked as she watched her sister; dumbfounded.

"Europe somewhere, possibly England."

Elena followed her sister and opened her wardrobed and took out the trunk that sat at the end of her own bed. Katherine stopped her movements and walked over to her sister. Her twin was mechanically opening the clasps of her trunk.

"What are you doing?" She asked, staring Elena down.

"I am coming with you." Her sister answered plainly, determination glistening in her eyes.

Katherine mirrored her sister's same determination and grabbed her arms, "No, you are not." She led Elena to her bed and sat down with her.

"Elena, you must stay here." Katherine brushed a chocolate curl from her sister's cheek. "You will stay here and marry a fellow founder and have children with him, to carry on a founding name. And you will live in a large house and live happily here in Mystic Falls. You will make our parents proud, Elena." Katherine said this to Elena so definitively. There was no room for argument.

"But, Katerina, what about you?"

"What about me?" She returned her rhetorical question with a sad smile. "You mustn't worry about me. I will have my child and live with him and raise him away from here. I do not have a life here any longer, but you do."

"But Stefan-"

"Stefan will find a kind girl to fall in love with and marry, one who will give him his own children." Elena could see in Katherine's eyes that she had a dream of being that kind girl.

All at once, it was becoming more real to Elena. The idea of her sister leaving Stefan, whom she had been with all of her life, was making her departure too much of a reality.

"Please don't leave, Katerina." She begged desperately one last time.

"I have to, Elena." She again smiled sadly. "But, you must know that I love you very much."

"I love you." Elena wrapped her arms around her sister and tears fell on her dress.

Katherine rose from her seat and buckled her suitcase. "Do not worry, Elena. We will see each other again." Katherine's encouraging smile didn't reach her eyes as she left the room they shared.

And all at once, Elena was alone. In the dark, the beautiful dark-haired girl sat, bathed in the moonlight. She never before imagined a life without her sister beside her. The two were hardly apart and they liked it that way.

The twins were two very different people, anyone could see it. Even though, they looked exactly alike on the outside; both had dark, curly hair. Katherine's hair had smaller, ringlet spirals and Elena's had larger and wider curls. They shared large, brown eyes, exactly alike. The sisters also had the same warm olive skin that paired well with their dark features.

The men in Mystic Falls often told Jonathan Gilbert that he had beautiful daughters that their sons would fight over, and he should thank God that he has two. Women in the town would often tell the twin's mother, Isobel, that she had two lovely daughters and that they were envious that she was able to call them her daughters.

However, on the inside, the two were opposites. Katherine was very impulsive and impatient; but she knew how to have a good time, she was always there to make people laugh. She did care for others, though she rarely showed it. When asked about it once by Elena she answered, "Caring is a sign of weakness and I do not want people to know my weaknesses."

On the contrary, Elena wore her heart on her sleeve. She had compassion; she cared very deeply for people and always put their wants and needs above her own. And when Katherine was there to make jokes— Elena was there to laugh; she was a genuinely happy person.

One thing the twins had in common was their stubborn personalities. This did lead to many arguments. However, they liked to get along rather than fight, which is the only reason their argument were ever able to end.

The sisters were always there for each other. They were able to read the other like a book and could anticipate how the other would react to any given situation. Because they were twins, they spent every milestone of their life together, and some children might not enjoy that, but the Gilbert twins did. They didn't want it any other way.

But, all of their times together were now over, Elena realized in the dimly lit room that night. They were grown up, both 17 years old and one with child. Things turned around so quickly that Elena was having whiplash. It was difficult to imagine a life without Katherine by her side, and for the first time in her life, level-headed Elena Gilbert was losing her grip on reality. Reality was her best friend beside her and holding her hand, reality was eventually marrying someone and raising her children alongside her sister, who would live next door. But these were all her past realities. Now, she was lost, completely and utterly lost. She did not have someone holding her hand and guiding her. And for the first time in Elena Gilbert's life, she was scared.

"She did what?!"

Elena was sitting next to her mother, Isobel, on the couch of the parlor of the Gilbert home. Her father Jonathan was pacing in front of them.

"Jonathan, calm yourself." Isobel said gently.

Their daughter sat with her hands folded in her lap, eyes locked on down on them.

"My daughter was impregnated— _out of wedlock_— and fled the country. I have reserved the right to be anything but calm." He sneered at his wife.

"She didn't mean for it to happen!" Elena blurted out, staring up at her father.

"It does not change the facts." Jonathan said coldly to his daughter with a passing glance in her direction. "What am I to tell the town? Katherine has brought nothing but shame to our family."

Isobel sobbed quietly into her hands next to her daughter and Elena went back to looking down into her lap.

"And the Salvatore's!" Jonathan announced angrily, as if he just realized the role that the family played in the situation.

"Jonathan, you cannot tell them the truth!" Isobel wailed through her sobs.

"Well, of course not!" He replied. "Giuseppe would no longer financially aid me in my business."

Elena suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at this. The reason her father was so excited about the relationship between Katherine and Stefan Salvatore was because of the connections he had with the family. The Salvatore's were one of the wealthiest families in town, aside from the Lockwood's. Though, everyone knew better than to ask for favors from them, they would have you pay back in their own way.

"I will tell them..." Jonathan was thinking of a story aloud while he continued to pace back and forth. "I will tell them that Katherine has left the country to visit her distanced family in Bulgaria, and that she is gone for an unforeseeable amount of time." Mr. Gilbert stared expectantly at the two woman sitting in front of him. "Well?!"

"Smart thinking, Jonathan. A likely story." Isobel said with honesty as she praised her husband.

"They will not believe it." Elena muttered from her seat.

"And why is that?" Her father stared down at her oppressively.

The young Gilbert now opted to stand up, "Because the Salvatore's are smart people; they will know that you are playing them for fools."

Jonathan waved her off with a hand, "Giuseppe will not suspect a thing; Stefan lacks the intelligence to think farther ahead, and the eldest son— the brains of the family— is off at war, he has no attachment to this situation."

Elena took offense to the demeaning way in which he spoke of the family that she was so fond of, and how he handled the news about Katherine. She had it. "Father, how long until Mr. Salvatore cuts you off from his money because of the lack of progress in any of your inventions?" She asked boldly.

"Elena!" Isobel exclaimed from the couch.

Jonathan lifted a hand as if he was going to slap his daughter, "Do not ever, speak to me like that again, child. Do you understand me?" He spoke calmly but there was a blaze of anger in his eyes.

Elena kept her chin up, "I understand." She spoke steadily.

And with that, her father exited; leaving Isobel and Elena alone in their sitting room.

"Elena, I know that you are upset about your sist-"

"No, mother, you do not understand. I just lost my closest friend, you and father lost your daughter and all the two of you could be concerned about is your social credit, and the money that we collect from the Salvatore's. Am I the only one wondering, 'Where is Katerina' 'How is Katerina' 'Where is Katerina planning on going' 'Who is going to help her during pregnancy' 'Who is going to deliver her child' 'How will she feed herself and her child'? So, no mother, I do not think you understand. I do not think you even love her and I now know how I am to be treated if anything like this should happen to me. Is anyone trying to find the rapist who attacked Katerina or are we going to let him roam free? Well, who cares anyways? I mean, your reputation is intact as long as your daughter is not to be known as the filthy wench around town!"

"Elena Joanne Gilbert!" Isobel stood up from her seat and stood in front of her daughter. "You know that I love Katerina and I love you. I cannot control your father!"

"Yes, you sitting here, sobbing into a handkerchief is very much contributing in a positive way."

Isobel looked down, her dark hair framed her face. "What do you want me to do, Elena? Your father will do what he pleases and I have no control over that."

"No control? Mother, that is false and you know it. If you truly desired to, you could convince Father to take care of Katerina and find her assailant."

"Elena, Katerina could not have had a future here anyhow. Do you think Stefan Salvatore would marry her after she already had a child that was not his own?" Elena was about to speak again before her mother cut her off. "I don't care how moral Stefan is, I am sure that Giuseppe would convince him otherwise."

"Mother, I am not asking for you to bring Katerina back here, I just want Father to send her somewhere safe with money to take care of herself." Elena's brown eyes were pleading.

"Elena, even if i was able to convince your father to send Katerina away with some money, she is most likely on boat to wherever she's going right now."

"Europe." Elena informed her.

"Excuse me?"

"Europe, that is where Katerina is on a boat to."

"What is there?" Isobel asked confusedly.

"England." The younger woman offered.

They both stood in silence for a long moment.

"Elena, you do know that I love you and Katerina both...?" Isobel spoke.

"Yes." She replied after a thoughtful pause.

"Your father does, as well."

Elena made a face at her mother, indicating that she had no belief in that statement. "Yes, but he did this to her which means, he does not really know what love is."

Isobel shrugged, "You do not really need to know how to love, to love."

Elena Gilbert followed her parents out of their carriage and onto the property of the Salvatore home. She wore a large burgundy dress, it was very tight because her mother insisted that the maids tighten her corset until she couldn't breathe. The sleeves were off shoulder, so her top was on display, including an ample amount of cleavage from the corset being so tight. From the hips down, the skirt billowed down to create a dramatic air it. Her curly hair was pinned up, but loose curls fell down around her face and from behind.

Once Elena exited the carriage, she looked up at the massive house that she had come to love. As children, she and Katerina played with both of the Salvatore brothers. Stefan was the same age as the twins, and Damon was 5 years older than the three. But Damon was always happy to play with them, despite the age differences. He always said that he would rather be outside in the cold with them than in the warm indoors with his father.

The Salvatore brothers each had a very different relationship with their parents. After Stefan was born, their mother ran into some medical complications; they were more mental than physical. However, after many years the physical issues caught up with her. She survived for 10 years after Stefan was born, but then she died. Since her death, Damon's father has resented him. Damon resembled his mother in their appearances, they had the same dark hair and bright blue eyes. The elder brother had always thought that this was the reason Giuseppe begrudged him; Damon was merely a teasing of who is no longer along side his father.

Stefan, however, could not be more of a saint according to his father. He was a bright young man of moral character and he held high standards of himself. But, Giuseppe also liked Stefan because he was able to teach his son things and be an example for him. Giuseppe did not need to teach Damon anything and he did not need an example. He was always a leader, not a follower. This also caused much of the friction in the relationship between Damon and his father. Stefan was eager to learn, and Giuseppe was eager to teach, so they had a mutual bond.

"Elena, hurry up." Isobel said, looking over her shoulder at her daughter who stood staring at the mansion in front of them.

Elena followed her parents into the house, and she could see that the party was in full swing. The musicians were already playing music, and some were dancing.

"Jonathan!" A loud voice came from the left.

"Giuseppe." Jonathan greeted his friend.

The two firmly shook hands.

"Isobel, you look as beautiful as ever." Giuseppe kissed the cheek of Elena's mother.

"And Elena, or is it Katherine?" Giuseppe had a playful glint to his eye. "I can hardly tell the two of you apart."

"It is Elena." She smiled uncomfortably, she knew of the conversation that was going to take place next.

"Well, where is your sister? My Stefan will surely be upset if he does not get a dance with her." Stefan's father craned his neck to look behind them, to see if Katherine was dawdling.

"Giuseppe, that is a matter I think that we should discuss more privately." Jonathan cut in.

Suddenly, Giuseppe's playful air diminished and he led Jonathan into his study down the hallway.

"Mother-" Elena started.

"Elena, this is a party for Damon. He is returning from battle, and it is a joyous event for the Salvatore family and this town."

"I know."

"So, do not look so serious, dear." Isobel had a fake smile plastered to her face and she said a quick hello to fellow townspeople that passed by.

"Elena!" The brunette turned to see Stefan calling her as he walking towards her.

"Stefan, hello!" Elena said excitedly as he pulled her in for hug.

"Elena!" Isobel exclaimed. "Inappropriate for the public." She chastised.

"Yes, mother." Elena said with a roll of her eyes, looking at Stefan.

Stefan tried to stifle his laughter as Isobel excused herself to speak to her friends across the room.

"Where is Katherine?" Stefan asked with wide, naïve eyes.

Elena let out a sad sigh, "She's...gone, Stefan."

"What?" He asked, perplexed. Stefan saw Elena's serious expression, but he didn't believe it, he couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Stefan." Elena looked up at him with kind eyes and placed her hand on his forearm comfortingly.

"Why?" The sadness in his face was so clear. It was obvious that he couldn't manage to hide it.

"She's visiting our family in Bulgaria...we are not sure of how long." She used her father's lie.

Thankfully, Stefan did not notice the way that she brushed a piece of hair from her face out of nervousness.

"Oh." He just looked down at his hands.

"Stefan?" Elena cocked her head, trying to make eye contact. "This is a party for your brother. We must both try to be happy."

The younger Salvatore lifted his head, grief was still clear in his eyes, but he tried to hide it with a weak smile. "You are right. Would you like to see him?"

Elena returned his smile, but she tried to at least make her's believable, "Of course."

Stefan led her from the hallway near the front of the house to the large room in which the dancing was taking place. From afar, Elena could see the elder Salvatore, still in his Confederate uniform. The brunette cringed at that, she was trained to hate the Union, because this was a fight for the South's rights. To the South it was "The War of Southern Oppression." But Elena saw it for slavery, something that she did not approve of. Her family was too poor to own slaves, they did not have the money to grow crops or to feed the hard-workers. There were actually a number of men in Confederate uniforms in the Salvatore home that night.

Damon Salvatore stood off to the side of the dance floor, speaking with other men in the Confederacy. They were continuing to go on about the pros and cons of the Battle of Spotsylvania, which had taken place a month ago. Damon could hardly stand to hear more about slavery and southern rights; he wanted out. Though, he appreciated his father's efforts to give him a party to celebrate his return from battle. This was the only part of his life that Giuseppe didn't scrutinize. It was a shame to Damon's father that he had absolutely no plans to return to war.

"Stonewall is going to get himself killed. He tries to educate slaves, which we all know is never going to work. If he is not shot dead by the Union, my gun might accidentally go off one of these days." A man from the Confederacy said beside Damon, as his other friends guffawed with him. But Damon chose to ignore them and their indecency. Instead, he focused on something else entirely.

Damon's little brother stood on the other side of the room, with a woman by his side. One that he had not seen for years. It was his brother's girl, Katherine Gilbert. She stood with her beautiful brunette hair pinned up, but loose curls came to frame her delicate face. Her delectable figure was covered well with her deep red dress, the bodice fitting her like a glove. And, of course, the woman was his brother's.

Once Stefan spotted his brother looking over at him and Elena, he walked across the room to greet him.

"Damon." Stefan greeted.

"Brother." Damon returned.

"I am sure that you remember Elena Gilbert, Katherine's twin sister." Stefan introduced Damon to the girl beside him.

_Elena! How could I forget her?_ _She did not look like that when I left._

"How could I forget?" Damon replied smoothly, stealing a kiss from Elena's soft hand.

Her large brown eyes looked up at him, sparkling. "Hello, Damon."

**Comments, questions and suggestions are appreciated.**

** -Alex**


	2. Chapter 2

_Mystic Falls, 1954_

Perry Como's voice wafted throughout the Mystic Grill from the jukebox that sat against the wall by the bar. The smell of hamburgers and french fries filled the air, girls dressed in pleats and nylon flirted with the boys whose hair was greasier than the burger grill itself.

Elena Gilbert could be seen sitting by herself at a corner booth sipping a strawberry milkshake. Her straight voluminous hair went well with her white headband, accompanying her leggings and denim shirt. Her foot, compassed in a white tennis shoe was tapping along to the music.

_He's late. _She thought to herself.

"Can I get you some fries or anything, sweetheart?" The friendly older waitress asked her.

"No, I'm fine with just a milkshake. Thank you." She replied with a sincere smile. "I'm just waiting for someone."

"You waitin' on a fella?"

"Um, well, sort of."

"Well, sugar, let me tell you what my momma always said, 'Never wait more than two minutes for a man. They just ain't worth it.'"

Elena giggled, "Thank you. I'll certainly take that into consideration."

The waitress walked away with a smile and warning eyes.

Then, right on cue, he walked through the double doors. Her James Dean. The thorn in her side. The devil in disguise.

He sauntered over to where Elena sat, carrying the confidence that never seemed to weigh him down. His hair was disheveled and greased, his leather jacked was open to reveal the white t-shirt underneath it. His classic blue jeans fit him like they were designed for him solely.

Sliding effortlessly into the booth, he shot Elena a smirk and stared her down with his playful, piercing blue eyes. "Hell-o, dolly."

"Damon." Elena murmured in return.

"Aw, sweetie, you didn't have to wait for me to order your food. Although, I don't blame you for not finding anything from here appetizing." Damon flipped through the menu that sat on their table with disinterest clear on his face. "So, how about we blow this joint?" He said placing the menu back down.

"Damon, you wanted to talk. So talk. I'm not making a day out of this." Elena said coldly.

"Don't get your little knickers in a twist. I only just got here, we're still saying hello." He said flirtatiously.

"Seriously Damon, what do you want?" The young woman could see right through him, she knew him like the back of her hand. She knew he was just playing with her and desperately trying to push her buttons by avoiding something.

"You know, I really do like the straight hair on you. It makes you look younger, actually."

Elena snorted, "Yeah, it's the hair that makes me look young." She said with an eye roll. Her mouth returned to her straw to take a sip of her milkshake.

Damon just smiled at her from across the table. It was a sad smile. His eyes looked tired, bloodshot. His playful demeanor suddenly went away. "What are we doing?" He asked quietly.

"We're sitting at a booth in The Mystic Grill." She acted like she didn't know what he was asking her.

Damon rolled his eyes now, "I know. But what are _we_ doing? What's the point of this? We're both back here in Mystic Falls. We're back in the same place, the same time."

"Damon…" Elena looked down at her hands. She didn't know what to say to him. They'd had this conversation so many times already. She didn't want to go through it again. "Nothing's changed."

"Why not? Why?" Damon leaned forward with his hands crossed on the table, trying to meet Elena's dark brown eyes with his. He couldn't understand why she was still being so stubborn about this.

"Because it hasn't." Elena snapped at him.

"Why are you doing this to me? Why are you doing this to Al?" He pleaded.

"Al has nothing to do with this." Her eyes shot up and met his with a dark glare. "Nothing has changed because you haven't changed. I haven't changed. There's nothing between us anymore."

"There's _everything_ between us." Damon whispered fiercely. He grabbed Elena's hand and held tight. "I know you feel it, Elena. I _know_ you do."

Elena stared at Damon through her lashes shyly. She felt it. She felt it with every fiber of her being, with everything that she was made of, she felt it.

"God, Elena, for once in your life just stop denying and _give in_."

Elena yanked her hand back from his. "_No_, Damon. This is exactly why nothing will ever work between us. I can't give in. Don't you see that? I'm the one who needs to hold it together because you sure as hell aren't." She crossed her arms and leaned back against the booth.

"Oh, here we go again. Yay! I finally get another 'holier than thou' speech from Elena Gilbert. I sure have missed these. Hold on, do you want me to go to the phone over there and dial Stefan? I'm sure you guys have more than enough material between the two of you to create a whole play on how much better you are than than the evil, Damon Salvatore." His voice dripped with sarcasm the way it always does when he pretends not to care. The anger in his beautiful eyes always gives it away.

Now Elena was just exasperated, there was no getting through to Damon. Aside from the villain, his favorite role was the victim and she was done allowing him to play that with her. "Save it, Damon. If all you came here to do was beg for me to take you back then I'm sorry to disappoint you." Elena grabbed her handbag and placed three dollars on the table. She slid down, out of the booth and stood up at the same time as Damon.

"You're making a mistake." He whispered as he looked down at her.

"And you say that every time." She met his gaze and tried to mask her vulnerability with confidence.

"You know, I can hear your heart pounding in your chest. You can try to play me by making it seem like I don't affect you, but you and I both know better." Damon took a step towards her until their bodies were flush against one other.

"Damon," Elena let out his name breathlessly.

He leaned down and put his lips right against her ear, "Until next time, Elena." She felt his cool lips press a kiss to her cheek and she closed her eyes to the sensation. Elena felt the ache in her chest travel all through her bones.

And suddenly, his lips were gone. Damon gave Elena a sly wink and left.

After letting out a shaky breath, Elena walked to the restroom across the restaurant. After entering, she placed her hands on the sink and stared at her tired reflection in the mirror above it. She couldn't believe that she let Damon get under her skin again. She knew his game, she knew his tricks, but even despite all that, he still managed to awaken that fire with her. Whenever he left, she always found herself wanting more. Just a few more glances. Just a few more words spoken. But inside, she knew this was the right thing to do. He wasn't ready for Elena, for her life. You'd think that after over 110 years on this planet that he'd mature. All she had now were memories of the best days of their lives and hope for more in the future.

Looking up into the mirror, she found herself saddened. Forever eighteen years old. Forever a teenager. Never able to grow old and experience those simple pleasures that came with mortality. If she and Damon had remained human then they could've been happy, they could've remained in the beautiful home that they had built for each other. Elena would try as hard as she could to stay away from that property, but somehow every few years, she would go back and reminisce on what could have been. She was so tired of living in the past but that's where her heart was. Her heart was with Damon, the Damon that she once knew.

Damon and Elena were no longer meant for each other, they were no longer human, so they no longer belonged together; or at least, that's what Elena would try to convince herself of every night when the yearning for his company became a need. She chuckled darkly, _You'd think after 90 years that I'd be able to sleep alone._

Pushing herself off of the sink, Elena walked out of the restroom and out of the restaurant. Exiting The Mystic Grill placed Elena right into the heart of downtown Mystic Falls. It had changed so much over the years; she passed by the office that used to be her father's, and the apothecary—now the drug store— right next to it where her mother would fetch her and Katherine medicine when they were ill. So much in the town had changed since 1864, but so much had also remained the same. The same founding families still remained. Elena even knew of the current family that held the Gilbert name.

They lived in a nice, white house on the edge of town. When she was in Mystic Falls, she would sit by the tree outside of their home and watch them. They were happy. The father was a doctor, who took great care of his family. He had a beautiful wife who was a regular Donna Reed; she cooked, cleaned and tended to the family all while in heels and a pearl necklace. They had a son, a daughter and a golden retriever. Elena would look on them with envy, knowing that that could have been her family.

Once she left downtown, Elena decided against going to the current Gilbert family's home and instead found herself walking towards the old Salvatore estate that was once her and Damon's. The road to get there was freshly paved and the only thing traveling across the roads now were the latest car models. If she closed her eyes, she could replace the sound of engines with the clomping of hooves. She could take out the sound of a honking horn and put the sound of rattling carriage wheels in its place.

After walking for some length of time, Elena reached her destination. The Salvatore Estate. Her home. Only, her home was no longer there. It hadn't been there in years, but for some reason, Elena would always have an inkling of hope that one day she would return and there it would be. Exactly the way it was in 1864. It was their home and it held so much joy and love and laughter. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time until that all of that came burning down. Quite literally. Elena could remember the day that the house had been burned to the ground. She didn't like to dwell on that day. It was one of the worst days of her life.

Elena stood there for some time, staring at the property until she decided that she had to leave. She walked back into town and bought herself the ticket for the next train to Atlanta. Elena decided that it was a good place to stay for now. She knew Damon wouldn't follow her and it wasn't too close to Mystic Falls where she would go and try to live in her past.

It wasn't healthy, she knew it wasn't healthy. She needed to stop living in the past and constantly pondering what could've been. She wanted to return for good one day, but only when she was no longer going to try to make a life out of her past. Elena loved Mystic Falls because it was her home, but she couldn't stay there trying to make something out of her old life. That life was gone and the sooner she let go, the better. She knew that she would go back to Mystic Falls one day and make roots again. But not yet, she decided. It had been ninety years, but ninety years was too soon. Maybe she'd come back in half of that time. _The next time I come to Mystic Falls, I'm staying for good….or for a while at least. Just a few more years. _

**Thank you for reading. I know this chapter was exceptionally short but I felt that I needed to share. Comments, questions, and suggestions are appreciated. **

** -Alex **


	3. Chapter 3

Mystic Falls, 1864

_Damon's little brother stood on the other side of the room, with a woman by his side. One that he had not seen for years. It was his brother's girl, Katherine. She stood with her beautiful brunette curls pinned up, but loose pieces came to frame her delicate face. Her delectable figure was covered well with her deep red dress, the bodice fitting her like a glove. And of course, the woman was his brother's._

_Once Stefan, spotted his brother looking over at him and Elena, he walked across the room to greet him._

_"Damon," Stefan said hello._

_"Brother." Damon returned._

_"I am sure that you remember Elena Gilbert, Katherine's twin sister." Stefan introduced Damon to the girl beside him._

Elena! How could I forget her? She did _not_ look like that when I left.

_"__How could I forget?" Damon lied smoothly, stealing a kiss from Elena's soft hand._

_Her large brown eyes looked up at him, sparkling. "Hello, Damon." _

Elena's eyes held a playful glint as the elder Salvatore brother returned her hand.

"Where is your sister tonight?" Damon asked.

He saw Stefan's face and knew that something was off about him. His eyebrows were furrowed together like they were in pain. This was Stefan's signature giveaway that something wasn't right. At the same time, Damon realized that Katherine wasn't at Elena's side and the two sisters never parted, even from the time when they were children. He remembered how they always insisted being on the same team when the four of them played games in the fields outside. They hardly parted.

"She's visiting our family in Bulgaria." Elena's voice was steady, but her eyes did not meet Damon's. After fidgeting with her hands for a few moments, she crossed her arms, which showed off even more of her cleavage. Damon tried to focus only on her face so as to not be indecent.

"And she went without you? To a different country? You two haven't parted since conception." Damon replied in disbelief.

"We're older now. We can function perfectly well by ourselves." Elena's voice shook a little this time, she wasn't sure if Damon was merely asking innocent questions or if he was really challenging her false story.

"Yet, you keep saying 'we'." Damon's tone was playful, but his eyes held suspicion.

"_I_ can function just fine on my own." The young Gilbert finally met Damon's light blue eyes with her brown daggers. "Is that better?"

The older Salvatore smirked at the young girl's spirit, "It is."

Elena shook her head in amusement and looked down at her feet with a smile while Damon's eyes continued to follow hers. _Good Lord, he__'__s handsome._

When she did look up, her eyes met Stefan's, "So, when are you going to ask me to dance?" She asked him. "I mean I know I'm not quite as good a dance partner as my sister bu-"

"Miss Gilbert, would you do me the honor of having this dance?" Stefan held his hand out to her as he asked with a sweet smile.

She gladly accepted his hand while he led her out. The older brother's eyes followed them while they walked out to join the rest of the guests dancing. _Feisty little thing, _he thought. _I don__'__t remember her looking like _that. The last time Damon had been home was 3 years ago.

_"__Damon, stop being such a grump and come play with us!__" __Katherine Gilbert had led her twin and Stefan back into the Salvatore estate to find Damon in the sitting room reading. _

_ Damon peered through the pages of the novel that was held up to his face at the contentious Gilbert twin. He closed his book and placed it on the table beside his seat, __"__Katherine,__" __He said tiredly. __"__I__'__m no longer a child. You cannot force me to take part in your adolescent games.__" _

_ Katherine rolled her eyes at his arrogant tone, __"__Oh c__'__mon, Damon. We were going to play hide and seek.__" __Her eyebrows raised excitedly as she turned to Stefan and Elena behind her who were both equally eager to play the game. _

_ "__In this weather?__" __Damon asked, he eyed the sky through the window in the parlor and saw it overcast. He chucked, __"__No thank you.__" _

_ Katherine pondered this for a moment with lips pursed, __"__Well, we could always play in here.__" _

_ Damon simply looked back at her with disinterest clearly painted on his face. He went to go pick up his novel once more. _

_ Stefan stepped forward, __"__Please, Damon. Father went into town, he isn__'__t here.__" _

_ His brother__'__s ears perked up a bit at hearing of his father__'__s absence but he continued to argue, __"__You don__'__t need four people to play hide and seek.__" _

_ "__Yes, but it__'__s so much more fun with more people.__" __Katherine said. _

_ Damon eyed the other Gilbert twin hanging behind her sister and Stefan. She and Katherine were exactly the same age but she almost looked younger than her sister. Her large brown doe eyes were searching around the room while she played with one of her brown curls. Her hair reached to her waist. Her tiny waist. _My God, does Jonathan feed them? _Damon thought. He looked at Katherine__'__s but her hips were just a bit fuller than Elena__'__s. _

_ "__What do you think I should do, Elena?__" __Damon asked the nervous young girl. _

_ Elena gulped, Damon made her nervous. __"__Um, I think Katherine__'__s right. Hide and seek is a more fun when you have more people playing.__" _

_Damon considered this for a moment longer, __"__Okay. I__'__ll play. But I get to seek.__" __He grinned mischievously. _

_ Katherine rolled her eyes again, she knew that he would be into the game if he simply stopped acting like a petulant child. _

_ The four walked into the foyer, __"__Okay, you all know the rules. I count to one hundred while you three hide. While I__'__m seeking all of you have to try to make it back to base before I catch you. Let__'__s say that__…" __Damon looked around the room for a good place. __"__This is the base.__" __He placed his hand on the staircase and looked back at the three young teenagers for their approval. __"__And, I call being seeker.__" __The elder Salvatore repeated with a playful eyebrow raise. _

_ "__Yes we know! You better not peek!__" __Katherine chastised, pointing a finger in Damon__'__s face. _

_ Damon planted both of his hands over his eyes with a loud smack, __"__Are you satisfied?__" __He asked Katherine. _

_ "__Very.__" __She replied happily._

_ "__One__…__two__…" __The elder Salvatore began to count out loudly,_

_ The three quickly separated like shrapnel at the sound of his counting. Katherine entered the Salvatore__'__s immense kitchen to receive the eyes of a few servants preparing dinner for later that evening. She pointed to one of the cupboards underneath the counter, silently requesting if she could go inside. The doorway looked big enough to fit her if she hugged her knees to her chest. The tall dark-skinned woman nodded to her in agreement. _

_ Stefan took off into the dining room. He was hoping it would be the last place Damon would look to find him because it was the furthest from the foyer on the first floor. He briefly considered hiding in his room, but he knew Damon would hear him walking up the stairs. Instead, the younger Salvatore hid underneath the table, hoping that the tablecloth would shield his brother__'__s view of him. _

_ Very quietly, Elena opted to enter into the closet underneath the staircase where the Salvatore__'__s kept their winter coats. She tip-toed to the door, still only three yards away from Damon who was still counting on the second step of the staircase. Elena peeked at his hands covering his face. There were no cracks between his fingers. Praying that the door wouldn__'__t creek, she silently opened it and stashed away inside. She left the door open just a half inch and burrowed herself among the wool overcoats that were hanging. _

_ "__98__…__99__…__100\. Ready or not here I come.__" __Damon sing-songed. _

_ Elena held her breath and tried to disappear even further into the rough material of the jackets. Closing her eyes, she waiting to hear the sound of Damon clomping through the house. She was met with silence. _Why is he walking so quietly? He already announced that he was coming to find us. _Elena peeled her eyes open to be met with two bright blue ones. _

_ "__Tsk, tsk, Elena.__" __Damon scolded as he looked down on the young girl. __"__A rookie move to leave the door creaked open like that. But not to worry, I__'__ve closed it for you.__"_

_ Elena looked over his shoulder at the door, completely shut, just like he said. She gulped as she looked up at his handsome, goading face. __"__Well, you__'__ve caught me, Damon. Don__'__t you want to get the other two before they reach the staircase?__" _

_ The dark-haired teenager smirked, __"__I__'__d rather stay in this dark closet with you all to myself.__" __Elena could feel his warm breath against her lips. _

_ She frowned. _What is he talking about? Did he not just ten minutes ago say that we were "adolescents"?_ "__I thought I was just a child. Isn__'__t that what you said?__" _

_ "__I don__'__t recall saying that.__" __Damon replied playfully. __"__I believe I merely called this game of yours adolescent.__" _

So he _does _remember. _"__Well, you inappropriately pressed up against me in this dark closet doesn__'__t make this game seem so adolescent. Now does it?__"_

_ Chuckling at her tenacity, Damon replied, __"__No, it doesn__'__t.__" __She could hear the smirk on his face. He placed his lips just shy of her ear, __"__You don__'__t seem so adolescent either, Miss Gilbert.__"_

_ As he stood up straight, his lingering words gave Elena a sudden sense of confidence, __"__You do realize you have yet to touch me. I__'__m still in the game and I could still slip past you and easily get to base. It__'__s only a few yards away from where we stand.__" _

_ Damon__—__amused with her new-found courage__—__leaned down even further, __"__I dare you to try.__"_

_ So, try she did. Elena attempted to duck by his body and reach for the door knob, but instead, Damon grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. For just a second in time, the both of them stood there and stared at his hand gripping her arm, which was now covered in goosebumps. They looked back up at each other and suddenly, he planted a kiss right on her lips. It was quick. It was meant to be playful. But it shocked the two of them. Both, breathless, stared at each other in disbelief. _What just happened, _they both asked themselves simultaneously._

_ Katherine__'__s muffled voice was heard through the closet, __"__Damon, that was the easiest game of hide and seek I have ever played! If I go upstairs and find you reading that wretched book in your bedroom, I swear I am going to scream!__" _

_ Damon gave Elena one last longing look and smoothly exited the closet, __"__You already are screaming,__" __he said to her twin. _

_ Katherine stood on the first step of the stairs in stunned silence. __"__Where did you come from?__" _

_ "__He found my hiding place.__" __Elena came out of the closet and into her sister__'__s view with a shy smile on her face. _

_ Damon looked down on Elena proudly as Katherine eyed the two of them suspiciously. __"__No wonder it was so easy to get to base,__" __she teased. Elena blushed fiercely and threw daggers at her sister through her eyes. _

_ Then, Stefan came down the steps of the staircase. _

_ "__You were upstairs the whole time?__" __Damon asked his brother in disbelief. He surely would__'__ve heard him slip past him while he was counting on the steps. _

_ "__No, I was under the table in the dining room. But you took so long to come after I already made it to base that I went upstairs to see if you were actually looking or just lounging in your bedroom.__" __Stefan explained. __"__I beat you by the way,__" __He said, giving Katherine a little shove with his shoulder. _

_ The brunette smiled up at him, __"__Hmm__…__a likely story, Mr. Salvatore,_ searching for your brother_,__" __She said, using air quotes. __"__Unfortunately, I don__'__t buy it. I beat you fair and square.__" _

_ The young pair continued to flirt with each other as Damon and Elena still stood just outside of the dark closet where they shared a most intimate moment. _

_ "__So, I guess this means you got last place.__" __Damon said to Elena with a satisfied smirk. _

_ She rolled her eyes at his arrogance, __"__Only because you cheated.__" _

_ Damon gasped in mock disbelief, __"__That is quite a large accusation. I did nothing of the sort.__" _

_ "__Well you certainly did not play fair.__" __Elena replied._

_ He met her again with his signature smirk, __"__I never claimed to.__" _

As he looked out on the dance floor, Damon had a hard time believing that the woman dancing with his little brother was the same Elena Gilbert that he stole a kiss from in the closet. That Elena was a shy, skinny little girl. He decided he was extremely interested in finding out who the new Elena in front of him was.  
Damon stepped out into the crowd of guests dancing until reached Elena and his brother.

The elder brother tapped on Stefan's shoulder, "Mind if I steal your partner away for a few moments?"

Stefan looked down at Elena inquisitively and she met him with a shrug.

_I__'__ll take it, _Damon thought.

The younger Salvatore stepped out and Damon took hold of Elena's waist and hand as they stepped into a waltz.

"How did I know you were going to do that?" Elena asked looking around the room with a smile.

"Do what?" Damon asked.

She met his eyes, "You know what."

"What is wrong about wanting to dance with a friend?" He asked innocently.

"Friend? I was not aware that we were friends."

"I think I have been very friendly with you, Miss Gilbert."

"Oh, you've been friendly with many women throughout the years, Mr. Salvatore."

"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Damon asked playfully.

Elena chuckled, "It certainly is. You wouldn't believe how many nights I've cried and cried over the number of women who have been blessed enough to spend their time with the _friendly _Damon Salvatore." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Don't cry, sweet girl. Damon's here now and he's only got eyes for you." He countered as he playfully pulled her closer to his chest.

Elena rolled her eyes in return and continued to people-watch past her dance partner's shoulder. The room was completely full. People were dancing, eating, drinking, and laughing. She spotted her mother gossiping with some of her friends from across the room while her father and Mr. Salvatore joined the party again. The girls she had met from visiting downtown with her mother were there dancing with their partners. Practically everyone she knew was there. Practically.

"You certainly look different from the last time that I saw you." Damon broke the short silence.

"Well seeing as the last time you saw me was three years ago in a dark closet, that is probably to be expected." Elena could feel herself growing flush from the memory of that day.

"Oooh, I see we have gotten quite the sharp tongue since then as well."

The young Gilbert playfully raised her eyebrows.

"That must be why you get so jealous, I'm your first kiss."

"No, you're not," Elena replied without missing a beat.

"Oh really?" Damon replied incredulously.

She nodded.

"Who is?" Damon's voice remained the same, but his eyes narrowed as he joined Elena in observing the guests around the room.

"Stefan." She responded passively.

"What?!" He glanced down at Elena. The look on his face was comical, he was clearly stunned.

"Oh c'mon, you don't think Katherine and I ever switched places in our childhood? We are identical." Elena maintained her casual tone while Damon was clearly anything but.

"And Katherine knew that you kissed her boyfriend?"

"It was her idea."

Damon searched Elena's face and saw a playful glint in her eye.

"Are you being serious?"

Elena playfully smacked Damon's chest, "Of course not! Why on earth would my sister allow me to kiss her beloved Stefan?"

Damon laughed, "You almost fooled me for a moment there, Miss Gilbert."

"I don't see how." Elena laughed with him, "They've practically been betrothed since we were children."

"Do you really think they will be married?" He asked seriously.

Elena's playful demeanor came to a halt. All she could see in her mind was the image of Katherine holding her suitcase with one hand and holding her belly, containing her child with the other. Stefan was such a kind soul, and Elena wouldn't be surprised even if he did still offer to marry Katherine even though she was pregnant with another man's child, but her sister was right when she said that his father would never allow it.

"Elena?" Damon tried to meet her eyes. They had glossed over as if she was lost in thought.

The young Gilbert quickly snapped back into her cheerful poise, "Of course they are going to be married one day, Damon. They're devoted to each other." She said with a casual chuckle.

Damon was not going to ignore her suspicious behavior so easily, "How long will she be in Bulgaria?" He asked.

"I'm not sure."

"That's quite a long journey. It will take weeks for her to even step foot in the country."

Elena murmured in response.

"I am still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that you will not be joining her." Damon continued to try to meet her brown eyes, which nervously began to dart around the room.

Elena stopped dancing, "Well Damon, believe it. Because she's already left." She dropped her right hand from his should and her left from his hand and walked away.

Damon was left among the crowd of dancers. _What the hell was that, _he thought. He didn't understand where such an emotional response came from. She didn't even seem angry as she walked away, merely uncomfortable.

Stefan was socializing with some of his father's colleagues when he saw Elena march away from a frozen Damon amongst the people dancing.

"Please excuse me, gentleman." Stefan put down his drink at a nearby table and followed Elena through the kitchen where the servants were washing the dishes and out to the backyard.

"Elena!" He called after her.

With only the moon lighting the night sky, Stefan could make out Elena's figure underneath the tree in their garden.

"Elena, what are you doing out here? What happened? What did Damon do?"

"He knows, Stefan," She said defeatedly.

"That's absurd; there's no possible way that he could know."

"Well, then he's going to find out soon. He could tell that I was lying to him."

Stefan remained silent. He knew that his brother would be able to figure it out eventually. There's no way that they could keep this a secret forever.

"What are we going to do?" Elena looked up at him tearfully. He could tell that she was thinking the same thing he was.

Stefan had no answers. He simply wrapped his arms around Elena and allowed her to stain his shirt with her tears.

Neither of them saw Damon standing outside the kitchen door observing the two underneath the willow tree.

_ 

Thank you, everyone, for your patience in updating the story with this chapter. Every other chapter will take place in 1864 while the others jump throughout different time periods. Please let me know your thoughts.


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